Learning early for future excellence

My day starts with the sound of my alarm clock at 10 minutes to five in the morning. I then have precisely 40 minutes to get to the MANN+HUMMEL training workshop, where I have been training as an electronics technician for industrial systems since September 2013. After leaving secondary school I did an Abitur (secondary school leaving examination) exam in engineering and then had to choose between three options: a conventional university course, a work-study programme, or an apprenticeship.

Since my dad also works for MANN+HUMMEL, I had actually already worked here while I was still enrolled in secondary school, and this allowed me to get to know the company a bit. At a technical college, a lot of emphasis is put on theory and not a lot of opportunity to apply this theory in practice. I therefore opted to do an apprenticeship and was pleased to be offered a place.

Different fields of interest in the MANN+HUMMEL training workshop

There are currently two first-year electronics apprentices here, including myself. Of course, we’re not the only ones who work in the training workshop. We are joined by students and other apprentices in the fields of process engineering, mechatronics, and industrial mechanics, and also by the training instructors. We get on really well with each other and learn a lot from each other’s work. Take for example our current project in which we are building a continuity tester: in addition to making the electronic components, we also need to build the housing. This requires a basic knowledge of mechanics, which we are acquiring during the course of the project. It also means that we don’t spend the whole day in our electronics lab, but also do some work on the workbench, for example.

Work in the departments starts in year two

While most of the first year is spent at a vocational college and in the training workshop, the apprentices join the specialist departments for more specialised work in year two. One of my friends is currently in his second year and, from what he tells me, it sounds really exciting! So I’m really looking forward to starting there too.

I’d love to stay at MANN+HUMMEL after my apprenticeship. Whether I then carry on working in this profession or perhaps add a work-study course to my CV is something I still need to decide. The reports I’ve heard in the training workshop from our mechatronics students have been really positive. What’s more, electronics is part of their course. I would therefore benefit from the practical experience I already have. But we’ll see… for now, I’m just going to look forward to completing the rest of my apprenticeship.

AuthorHakan Keskin

Hakan Keskin knew as early as his school days that he wanted to work for MANN+HUMMEL one day. He has completed his apprenticeship as an electronics technician for industrial systems at MANN+HUMMEL in Ludwigsburg.